HSSMSS1NHTION    OR 

CARTER   HARRISON 


CHICAGO'S     GREATEST     EXECUTIVE 

With  an  Intetesting  Review  of  His  Eventful  Life,  and  Tributes  of 
Respect  to  His  Memory  by  Leading  Men  of  the  Nation. 

-»  I  L- LU ST R T^TO  D  K- 

PRICE:      -      -      25  CENTS. 


CdRTER  HflRRISON'J 

flSSflSSIN/ITION 


Giving  a  full  account  of  his  Tragic  Death,  with  a 
Detailed  Synopsis  of  his  Eventful  Life. 


COMPILED   BY 

A  MEMBER  OF  THE  CHICAGO  PRESS. 

WITH  AUTHOR'S  INTRODUCTORY. 


FROM    THE    PRESS  OF 
A.  THEO.  PATTERSON,  PROGRESSIVE  PRINTER 


INTRODUCTORY. 


(BARTER  HENRY  HARRISON  is  no  more,  save 
in  memory.  A  cruel  assassin  took  his  life  at  a 
time  when  fair  Fame  upon  him  smiled  her  sweetest. 
As  Mayor  of  the  World's  Fair  City,  together  with  his 
brilliant  talents  and  past  political  achievements,  ]ie  had 
won  the  admiration  of  the  World.  This  little  book  is 
not  a  biography  such  as  should  do  full  justice  to  the 
memory  of  the  late  Mayor  Harrison.  Such  a  work  will 
no  doubt  be  published,  but  its  inevitable  high  price  will 
place  it  beyond  the  reach  of  the  masses  of  the  people. 
This  brief  compilation,  which  I  have  put  into  book  form, 
contains  all  the  main  facts  connected  with  the  tragedy, 
and  other  information  worthy  of  preservation.  If  tf\\* 
book  shall  reach  the  masses  of  the  people  and  be  pre- 
served by  them  as  a  memento  of  the  man  who  owed  his 
great  success  to  their  loyal  political  support,  then  the 
author's  desire  shall  be  attained. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


fttayor  Jtoison  Assassinated. 


"Carter  H.  Harrison,  five  times  elected  Mayor  of  the 
City  of  Chicago,  was  assassinated  at  his  home  on  the 
night  of  October  28,  1893.  The  murderer,  an  alleged 
monomaniac,  was  P.  Eugene  Prendergast,  a  carrier  of 
newspapers.  The  assassin  stated  at  the  police  station, 
whither  he  had  ran  after  committing  the  awful  deed, 
that  he  had  killed  the  Mayor  because  he  had  promised 
him  the>  Corporation  Counselship  of  Chicago  and  had 
failed  to  keep  his  word. 

Mayor  Harrison  was  to  have  h^ ;  .  Carried  to  Miss 
Annie  Howard,  of  New  Orleans,  on  the  5th  of  vNovem- 
ber,  1893. 

ASSASSIN   WAITED   AT  THE   DOOR. 

At  7:50  o'clock  a  man  ran  up  the  front  steps  of  Mr. 
Harrison's  residence,  at  No.  231  Ashland  Avenue,  and 


6  ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON 

rang  the  bell.  Mary  F.  Hansen,  the  servant,  answered 
the  bell,  and  the  man  outside  asked  for  Mr.  Harrison. 
She  said  he  would  have  to  wait  a  moment,  as  Mr.  Har- 
rison was  asleep  on  the  sofa  in  the  parlor,  at  the  same 
time  going  back  through  the  hall  to  call  him,  leaving 
the  door  open.  In  a  moment  Mr.  Harrison  stepped  from 
the  parlor  into  the  hall.  In  an  instant  the  man  had 
drawn  a  revolver  and  fired,  the  shot  entering  the  abdo- 
men just  above  the  navel.  Two  more  shots  rang  otlt  an 
instant  later,  the  first  of  which  entered  the  Mayor's  body 
under  the  left  arm,  penetrating  the  heart.  Mr.  Harri- 
son, when  the  first  shot  was  fired,  had  started  towards 
the  door,  and  the  second  shot  struck  him  when  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  assassin.  Mr.  Harrison  was  so  close  to 
fhe  muzzle  of  the  revolver  when  the  third  shot  was  fired 
ttered  one  of  the  knuckles  of  the  left 


i   the  rear   of 

the  house  when  thu  insi  ran  into  the  hall 

and  fired  three  shots  at  the  man  as  he  started  out  of  the 
front  door.  The  murderer  paused  for  an  instant,  turned 
about  and  fired  a  parting  shot  at  the  coachman.  He 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER    HARRISON  7 

then  ran  down  the  front  steps  and  passed  rapidly  north 
on  Ashland  Avenue. 

Mayor  Harrison,  after  the  last  shot  was  fired,  stepped 
into  the  parlor  and  started  towards  the  dining-room.  He 
had  taken  but  a  few  steps,  however,  when  he  reeled  and 
fell  into  the  butler's  pantry,  which  led  to  the  rear  of  the 
house.  His  son  Preston,  who  was  up-stairs  at  the  time 
of  the  shooting,  ran  down  and  was  at  his  father's  side  in 
an  instant. 

Mr.  Harrison  said:  "I  am  shot,  Preston,  and  can 
not  live." 

Preston  hastily  left  his  father's  side  and  rushed  out 
upon  the  street  in  pursuit  of  the  assassin. 

SHOT    IN   THE   HEART.    • 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  Chalmers,  who  live 
across  the  street,  had  started  for  the  Harrison  residence, 
as  they  heard  the  shots.  They  saw  a  man  rushing  up 
Ashland  Avenue  and  met  the  son,  Preston,  in  pursuit. 
Young  Mr.  Harrison  stopped  long  enough  to  inform  his 
neighbors  of  the  terrible  affair  and  then  started  on  in 
pursuit  of  the  murderer.  Mr.  'and  Mrs.  Chalmers  has- 
tily entered  the  house,  Mr.  Chalmers  at  once  making  a 


8  ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON 

pillow  of  his  overcoat,  which  he  placed  under  Mr.  Har- 
rison's head. 

"I  have  been  shot  and  can  not  live,"  said  the  Mayor, 
as  he  gasped  for  breath. 

"You  won't  die,"  said  Mr.  Chalmers,  "you  have  only 
been  shot  in  the  abdomen." 

"No,  I  have  been  shot  in  the  heart,  and  I  know  I 
can  not  live,"  was  the  reply. 

These  were  the  last  words  of  the  Mayor.  He  imme- 
diately became  unconscious  and  died  at  8:27. 

The  murderer,  pursued  by  the  coachman,  ran  along 
Ashland  Avenue  toward  Monroe  street  at  a  breakneck 
pace.  Coming  to  Monroe  street,  he  turned  east  and 
started  for  the  city.  The  pursurer,  who  had  been  rein- 
forced by  an  officer  and  several  citizens,  gained  rapidly 
on  their  man.  On  they  sped  until  Desplaines  street 
was  reached,  when  the  hunted  man  again  turned  to  the 
north  and  in  a  few  moments  had  reached  the  Desplaines 
Street  Police  Station.  He  walked  in  and  approached 
the  Sergeant  at  the  desk. 

He  was  about  to  speak  when  the  foremost  of  his 
pursurers  rushed  breathlessly  into  the  Station.  "  Lock 
that  man  up,"  said  the  coachman,  "  he  has  killed  Mayor 
Harrison." 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON  9 

In  an  instant  the  Sergeant  was  out  from  behind  his 
desk,  and  catching  hold  of  the  man's  arm,  pulled  him 
within  the  wire  enclosure  as  though  to  preserve  his  life 
from  a  crowd  which  was  gathering  with  astonishing 
rapidity. 

GLAD  HE  vSHOT  HIM. 

Without  waiting  to  register  the  prisoner,  he  was 
quickly  taken  back  and  placed  behind  the  bars.  The 
Station  was  then  cleared  of  the  excited  people  and  the 
Sergeant  went  for  a  talk  with  the  prisoner. 

u  My  name  is  Eugene  Patrick  Prendergast,"  he 
said  in  response  to  the  first  inquiry. 

"  Do  you  know  that  you  have  killed  Mayor  Harri- 
son ?  "  asked  the  Sergeant. 

u  Yes,  and  I  am  glad  of  it,"  was  the  answer.  "  He 
promised  to  give  me  the  Corporation  Counselship,  and 
has  not  kept  his  word." 

"Where  do  you  live? 

u  At  No.  609  Jane  street,  with  my  mother,"  said 
the  prisoner.  This  ended  the  interview. 

The  Sergeant  at  once  telephoned  the  Central  Station 
and  in  a  few  moments  several  officers  from  that  District 
were  at  the  Desplaines  Street  Station.  A  patrol  was 


SCENE  OF  THE  TRAGEDY  IN  MAYOR  HARRISON'S  HOME 


AvSSASSINATION    OF   CARTER    HARRISON  II 

called  a  few  minutes  later  and  the  prisoner  was  taken  to 
the  Central  Station  down  town.  Here  another  examin- 
ation was  held  and  the  revolver  which  had  been  taken 
from  the  murderer  at  the  Desplaines  Street  Station  was 
given  into  the  keeping  of  the  officer  in  charge. 

TO  THE  COUNTY  JAIL. 

Shortly  after  1 1  o'clock  the  patrol  was  again  brought 
into  requisition  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  the  pris- 
oner to  the  county  jail.  The  news  that  the  murderer 
had  been  apprehended  spread  rapidly  down  town  and 
when  the  officers  emerged  from  the  Station  in  the  big 
county  building  they  found  the  crowd  of  nearly  500 
persons  assembled  about  the  entrance  to,  and  the  walk 
from  the  Station.  The  prisoner  was  instantly  taken 
back  into  the  Station  and  a  consultation  held.  The 
officers,  fearing  violence  to  their  prisoner  from  the 
crowd  without,  feared  to  make  the  trip,  and  asked  for 
reinforcements.  A  detail  of  six  officers  was  summoned 
and  at  11:15  the  prisoner,  closely  guarded,  was  brought 
out  of  the  Station,  hurried  through  the  long  passageway 
to  the  street  and  hustled  into  the  wagon  in  a  jiffy.  The 
officers  were  barely  seated  before  the  wagon  was  in 
motion,  and  amid  the  mutterings  of  the  crowd,  was 
hurried  off  to  the  north  side,  where  he  was  lodged  in 
the  County  Jail  for  safe  keeping. 


CARTER  HENRY  HARRISON. 
(From  His  Favorite  Photograph) 


Sketch  of  Harrison. 


Carter  H.  Harrison  was  born  in  Fayette  County, 
Kentucky,  February  15,  1825.  Richard  A.  Harrison, 
Cromwell's  Lieutant-General,  who  led  Charles  I.  to  the 
block,  is  his  earliest  ancestor  preserved  in  the  family 
archives.  The  name  was  conspicuous  in  Virginia  dur- 
ing the  colonial  period,  and  Carter  T.  Harrison,  his  great 
grandfather,  and  his  brother,  Benjamin  Harrison,  the 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  father  of 
President  William  Henry  Harrison,  enrolled  in  the  an- 
nals of  the  infancy  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

Early  intermarriages  linked  the  Harrison  family 
with  the  Randolphs,  Cabells  and  Carters — two  promi- 
nent Virginia  families.  Through  the  former,  Thomas 
Jefferson  and  John  Randolph  were  near  of  kin,  to  the 
latter  the  Reeves  of  Virginia  and  the  Breckiiiridges  of 
Kentucky,  Robert  Carter  Harrison,  grandfather  of  our 


14  ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON 

subject,  located  in  Kentucky  in  1812.  His  father  and 
grandfather  were  graduates  of  William  and  Mary  Col- 
lege. When  he  was  eight  months  old  his  father  died, 
but  the  circumstances  of  the  family  was  left  in  an  un- 
usually promising  condition.  When  he  was  15,  Carter 
was  placed  under  the  scholastic  care  of  Dr.  Louis  Mar- 
shall, brother  of  the  Chief  Justice  and  father  of  the  fa- 
mous Kentucky  orator,  Thomas  T.  Marshall.  In  1845 
he  graduated  from  Yale  College.  He  then  studied  law 
but  did  not  practice.  A  short  time  leisurely  spent  on 
his  father's  farm,  six  miles  from  Lexington,  preceded 
a  trip  to  Europe  in  1851,  when  he  visited  every  part  of 
England,  Scotland  and  other  parts  of  Europe  and  passed 
into  Egypt  and  in  company  with  Bayard  Taylor,  ex- 
plored Syria  and  Asia  Minor.  Taylor's  "Land  of  the 
Saracen"  was  the  result  of  the  tour. 

CAME   TO   CHICAGO    IN    1855. 

In  1853  ^r-  Harrison  entered  the  Transylvania  Law 
School  at  Lexington,  and  finished  the  course  two  years 
later.  In  1855  he  came  to  Chicago.  Real  estate  trans- 
actions from  that  time  forward  engaged  his  attention 
aside  from  his  political  ventures.  His  political  life  be- 
gan in  1871  when  he  was  elected  County  Commissioner. 


ASSASSINATION   OF   CARTER    HARRISON 


111  1872  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democrats  to  Congress 
to  represent  a  strongly  Republican  district,  but  was  de- 
feated. He  reduced  the  Republican  majority  so  greatly 
however,  that  he  was  again  placed  in  the  field  and  elected 
by  a  majority  of  eight  votes.  At  the  time  he  was  put 
up  he  was  traveling  with  his  family  in  Germany,  Aus- 
tria, the  Tyrol  and  Switzerland. 

He  at  once  came  home  to  represent  his  district,  but 
in  1875  went  back,  and  after  traveling  through  northern 
Europe,  ended  his  trip  in  Paris.  His  family  went  to 
Germany  and  he  came  to  Chicago  only  to  be  recalled  by 
the  death  of  his  wife.  While  absent  he  was  re-elected 
to  Congress.  In  1877  his  name  was  first  suggested  for 
the  Mayoralty  and  in  April  following  he  was  elected  by 
"a  majority  of  over  5,000,  although  the  city  had  gone 
Republican  the  fall  before  by  a  majority  of  7,800.  In 
1881  he  was  re-elected  by  a  majority  of  8,000,  although 
the  city  went  Republican  the  fall  before  by  8,000.  In 
this  campaign  not  only  the  press  but  the  pulpit  was  op- 
possed  to  him.  In  1886  he  was  re-elected  by  an  in- 
creased majority.  In  the  fall  of  1884,  Mr.  Harrison,  in 
obedience  to  the  peremptory  demand  of  the  Democratic 
party,  was  a  candidate  for  Governor  of  the  State  of  Ill- 
inois, but  was  defeated  by  Governor  Oglesby,  the  State 


1 6  ASSASSINATION  OF  CARTER  HARRISON 


being  preponderatingly  Republican.  Mr.  Harrison, 
however,  succeeded  in  reducing  the  former  majority  of 
40,000  to  14,500.  In  the  spring  of  1885  he  was  re-elec- 
ted Mayor  of  Chicago.  On  March  ist,  1893,  Mr.  Harri- 
son was  again  nominated  as  the  candidate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  for  the  Mayoralty.  The  campaign,  previous 
to  the  nominating  convention,  was  one  of  the  most 
active  in  the  political  history  of  the  city.  It  was  said 
on  every  side  that  the  World's  Fair  Mayor  must  be  a 
representative  man,  identified  with  the  growth  of  the 
city,  and  one  who  could  fill  a  position  which  would 
require  the  entertainment  of  Foreign  Princes  and  digni- 
taries with  a  becoming  dignity.  Three  candidates  pre- 
sented themselves  to  the  ranks  of  the  Democratic  party, 
Mr.  Harrison,  Mr.  Creiger  and  Washington  Hesing,  and 
at  the  primaries  there  was  a  spirited  contest.  The  con- 
vention which  was  called  together  on  March  ist,  was 
one  of  the  largest  ever  held  in  Cook  county,  and  some 
of  its  scenes  were  dramatic  in  the  extreme.  The  con- 
test in  the  convention  was  between  Mr.  Harrison  and 
Mr.  Hesing,  and  both  of  them  sat  side  by  side  on  the 
platform.  After  several  hours,  during  which  the  wildest 
confusion  reigned  in  the  convention,  and  matters  were 
obstructed  to  such  a  degree  that  no  business  could  be 


ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON  17 

done,  Mr.  Heising  withdrew  his  name  and  Mr.  Harrison 
was  made  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  assembly. 

ELECTED   WORLD'S   FAIR    MAYOR. 

The  campaign  preceding  the  election  was  one  of 
the  most  spirited  in  the  political  history  of  Cook  county. 
Opposed  to  Mr.  Harrison  as  the  Republican  candidate 
was  Mr.  Samuel  W.  Allerton,  who  had  the  support  of 
every  newspaper  in  the  city  with  the  exception  of  Mr. 
Harrison's  own  paper,  The  Times.  Nothing  daunted, 
however,  by  the  confident  prediction  of  the  press  that 
he  stood  not  the  ghost  of  a  show  for  re-election,  Mr. 
Harrison  in  .his  frank  and  hearty  manner,  went  ahead 
with  the  management  of  his  campaign,  and  by  perfect 
organization,  and  by  his  presence  night  after  night  at 
political  meetings,  and  by  a  vigorous  protection  of  his 
interests  through  his  own  paper,  The  Times,  Mr.  Harri- 
son surprised  his  opponents  by  beating  Mr.  Allerton  by 
a  plurality  of  over  20,000  votes.  The  result  was  all  the 
more  surprising  because  of  the  confident  predictions 
which  had  been  made  that  Mr.  Allerton  was  the  choice 
of  Chicago's  citizens  and  that  Mr.  Harrison's  race  for 
the  Mayoralty  did  not  meet  with  the  sanction  of  the 
people. 


Mr.  Harrison's  Engagement 


Had  Carter  H.  Harrison  lived  for  the  brief  period 
of  two  weeks  longer,  he  would  have  taken  unto  himself 
a  third  wife  in  the  person  of  Miss  Annie  Howard,  of 
New  Orleans.  It  is  less  than  two  months  since  his 
engagement  to  the  only  daughter  of  the  late  Cresent 
City  millionaire  and  king  bee  of  the  Louisiana  lottery 
was  made  public.  At  first  the  report  was  received  with 
incredulity,  and  even  his  closest  friends  were  loth  to 
believe  that  in  view  of  his  advanced  years,  and  especially 
of  his  statements  after  the  death  of  his  second  wife, 
that  thereafter  Chicago  would  be  his  only  bride — that 
he  contemplated  again  entering  the  matrimonial  state. 
When  questioned  on  the  subject,  the  Mayor  was  at  first 
inclined  to  be  reticent  and  gave  jocose  and  humorous 
replies  to  his  interrogators,  but  finally  when  a  conceal- 
ment was  no  longer  possible,  he  owned  up  to  the  soft 
impeachment  with  some  light  hearted  dissertations  on 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON  19 

the  power  of  love,  even  over  gray-headed  men ;  and  to 
some  of  his  questioners,  he  put  the  pointed  question  as 
to  whether  they  did  not  think  he  would  make  a  pretty 
vigorous  bride-groom  for  a  man  of  his  age.  What  this 
age  was  he  would  not  definitely  say,  and  some  amuse- 
ment was  created  among  old  residents  by  his  suggestion 
that  he  had  yet  to  round  his  sixtieth  year. 

THE    WEDDING. 

According  to  the  plans  so  far  as  they  had  been 
made,  it  was  supposed  in  the  Mayor's  inner  circles  that 
the  wedding  was  to  have  been  a  decidedly  swell  affair. 
The  invitations  were  to  have  nin  up  into  the  thousands 
ranging  from  President  and  Mrs.  Cleveland  down  to  the 
governors  of  half  a  dozen  States  and  the  Mayors  of  a 
score  of  cities,  whose  intimate  acquaintance  Mayor  Har- 
rison had  enjoyed  for  years.  A  special  train  had  already 
been  chartered  for  the  accommodation  of  the  distin- 
guished bride-groom  elect,  the  members  of  his  family 
and  his  most  intimate  friends.  This  was  the  Mayor's 
share  of  the  preparation.  In  New  Orleans,  according 
to  letters  received  from  friends  of  the  bride-to  be,  in  that 
city  the  preparations  in  her  own  behalf  were  on  an  equal 


20 


ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON 


scale  of  grandeur,  and  altogether  the  event  was  expected 
not  merely  to  dazzle  high  society  of  the  Crecent  City, 
but  through  regal  accessories  to  say  nothing  of  the  offi- 
cial and  social  standing  of  the  high  contracting  parties, 
to  be  a  function  of  national  interest.  "  But  man  pro- 
poses, and  God  disposes." 


Remembered  His  Friends. 


Mr.  Harrison  was  a  thorough  believer  in  the  creed 
that  to  the  victor  belongs  the  spoils.  Behind  every  one 
of  his  appointments  was  always  the  assured  fact  that  the 
appointee  was  an  enthusiastic  Harrison  man.  He  did 
not  leave  minor  appointments  to  the  heads  of  depart- 
ments. His  influence  was  felt  even  down  to  the  janitors 
for  Chicago's  city  hall.  His  frequent  remark  was  :  "  I 
am  running  this  administration." 

The  treatment  of  two  great  municipal  problems, 
gambling  and  the  social  evil,  was  typical  of  the  man. 
He  tolerated  these  places,  but  kept  them  under  constant 
police  supervision,  on  the  French  principle  that  these 
vices  cannot  be  eradicated,  and  therefore  it  is  better  to 
have  them  so  that  the  police  can  control  them.  Morally 
under  this  plan,  Chicago  was  better  than  ever  before. 
But  besides  this — and  this  was  the  great  object  in  Har- 


22  ASSASSINATION  OF  CARTER  HARRISON 

rison's  mind — he  remained  on  friendly  terms  with  the 
gamblers  and  others  of  that  ilk,  and  was  always  certain 
of  their  support  at  election  time. 

Harrison  was  probably  the  best  of  Chicago's  long 
list  of  Mayors  as  far  as  the  welfare  of  the  city  was  con- 
cerned. He  had  the  wisdom  to  see  that  a  very  necessary 
condition  of  political  preferment  was  a  clean  political  as 
well  as  business  record. 

Shrewdness  was  perhaps-  his  most  prominent  char- 
acteristic. His  business  head  showed  itself  in  his  pur- 
chase of  Chicago  real  estate.  He  became  a  very  rich 
man,  largely  by  the  appreciation  of  the  value  of  prop- 
erty that  he  bought  cheap  years  ago,  but  whose  future 
value  he  saw  before  others  did. 

He  was  possessed  of  unlimited  ambition ;  he  never 
knew  when  he  was  defeated.  Indeed,  in  the  last  Mayor- 
alty contest  he  succeeded  simply  because  he  refused  to 
be  beaten.  The  election  was  mainly  a  personal  victory, 
due  largely  to  his  individual  characteristics. 

In  1890  he  aspired  to  the  Mayoralty  again,  but  the 
Democratic  convention  refused  to  nominate  him,  so  he 
bolted  it.  Not  a  newspaper  in  Chicago  during  this 
campaign  had  a  good  word  to  say  for  him.  He  ran  on 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER    HARRISON  23 

an  independent  ticket,  cut  the  Democratic  vote  squarely 
apart,  and  a  Republican  was  elected  Mayor  with  less 
than  2,000  votes  to  spare  over  Harrison,  who  had  about 
500  less  than  the  regular  Democratic  nominee.  That 
election  was  a  lesson  to  Harrison,  and  he  bought  a  news- 
paper, The  Times.  When  the  next  Mayoralty  battle 
came  round,  two  years  later,  he  obtained  the  nomination, 
and  was  supported  by  The  Times.  The  Tribune, 
Herald,  Inter-Ocean,  Post,  News,  Record  and  Journal 
fought  him  bitterly,  yet  he  defeated  the  combination  by 
over  20,000  votes.  He  did  it  by  his  knowledge  of 
Chicago  politics  and  his  long  political  experience,  cou- 
pled with  his  pertinacity,  his  tact,  his  power  of  handling 
men,  his  personal  magnetism,  his  political  alliance,  his 
attitude  toward  gambling,  his  newspaper  and  his  money. 
The  only  weapons  the  other  side  had  with  which  to  fight 
him  were  newspapers  and  money,  for  the  opposing  can- 
didate, Mr.  Allerton  had  little  to  recommend  him  except 
his  money  and  business  experience. 

RELATED  TO  EX-PRESIDENT  HARRISON. 

Mr.  Harrison  was  very  proud  of  his  relationship  to 
ex-President  Harrison  ;  his  grandfather  and  the  ex-Pres- 
ident's grandfather  were  brothers.  Carter  Harrison  was 


24  ASSASSINATION  OF  CARTER  HARRISON 

married  in  1855  to  Sophy  Preston.  She  died  in  Europe 
in  1876.  In  1882  he  married  Marguerite  E.  Stearns, 
who  died  in  1887. 

Carter  Harrison  was  a  very  well-read  man  and  had 
a  large  amount  of  information  at  his  finger  tips.  He 
was  also  a  graceful  writer,  and  had  written  several  books 
of  travel,  the  most  successful  of  which  was  "  A  Race 
with  the  Sun,"  being  an  account  of  his  travels  in  the  far 
East.  This  book  caused  something  of  a  literary  sensa- 
tion when  it  was  published  a  few  years  ago. 

Although  a  very  rich  man  and  fond  of  the  elegan- 
cies of  life,  Mayor  Harrison  was  accustomed  on  all 
occasions  to  refer  to  himself  "as  a  man  of  the  people." 
He  was  easily  accessible,  and  his  manner  was  bluff  and 
and  hearty,  making  no  discrimination  of  persons. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  Infanta  Eulalie, 
when,  as  Mayor  of  the  city,  he  was  her  official  escort, 
he  purchased  and  wore  a  silk  hat — the  first  one,  he  took 
care,  to  announce,  he  had  worn  in  twenty  years. 

In  his  official  quarters  at  the  City  Hall,  he  main- 
tained his  character  as  ua  man  of  the  people."  He  for- 
sook the  private  office  where  his  predecessors  were  wont 
to  seclude  themselves,  and  was  usually  found  seated  at  a 


*       ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER    HARRISON  25 

desk  planted  near  the  middle  of  the  large  reception 
rooin,  where  the  political  "boys"  and  other  visitors 
could  easily  get  at  him. 

During  the  warm  days  of  summer  he  sat  at  his 
desk  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  chatting  indiscriminately  with 
any  visitor  that  chanced  in  the  room.  To  the*  office- 
seekers  and  others  who  would  try  to  button-hole  him 
for  a  confidential  talk,  it  was  his  wont  to  say,  in  a  some- 
what loud  voice,  that  he  had  no  secrets  and  that  any  bod  v 
who  had  anything  to  say  to  him  should  "speak  up." 

SYMPATHIZED  WITH  THE  COMMON  PEOPLE. 

It  was  the  custom  of  his  enemies  to  refer  to  these 
habits  as  illustrations  of  his  demagogy,  but,  whether 
they  were  demagogic  or  not,  they  were  not  assumed  by 
Mr.  Harrison  as  a  conscious  affectation.  His  sympathies 
were  with  the  common  people,  and  it  was  upon  them 
that  he  always  relied  for  such  political  success  as  he 
achieved.  If  he  had  a  conviction  in  politics,  it  was  that 
it  is  the  votes  that  elect,  and  that,  as  he  was  accustomed 
to  say  in  his  speeches  last  year,  "one  vote  is  as  good  as 
another." 

Mr.  Harrison  was  one  of  those  men  who  in  public 
affairs  had  strong  likes  and  dislikes.  He  made  enemies, 


26  ASSASSINATION   OF    CARTER   HARRISON     , 

as  all  public  men  do,  but  they  seldom  extended  beyond 
his  political  circle.  His  friends  were  many,  and  like  the 
true  Kentuckian  that  he  was,  he  was  steadfast  in  his 
friendships.  But  even  in  the  heat  of  a  political  cam- 
paign he  was  careful  to  avoid  vindictiveness.  He  was 
never  sensitive  to  newspaper  criticism  ;  he  accepted  it 
as  something  which  had  to  be  borne,  and  he  never 
flinched. 


Mr.  Harrison's  Fiancee. 


Mr.  Harrison  was  to  have  been  married  on  November 
7th,  1893,  to  Miss  Annie  Howard,  of  New  Orleans. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  the  late  Charles  T.  Howard,  who 

was  at  one  time  one  of 
the.  Lottery  Kings  at 
New  Orleans,  and  who 
died  about  eight  years 
ago,  supposed  to  have 
been  worth  more  than 
$20.000,000.00.  There 
were  several  children 
and  Miss  Howard's  por- 
tion of  the  estate  was 
estimated  at  $3,000,000. 
She  is  29  years  old,  and 
in  spite  of  the  luxury  in  which  she  was  brought  up,  is 
quiet  and  studious  in  her  tastes  and  extremely  adverse  to 


28  ASSASSINATION    OK    CARTKR    HARRISON 


ostentation  and  not  particularly  partial  to  society.  As 
a  hostess,  however,  Miss  Howard  charmed  all  those  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  meet  her  within  her  own 
home  circle. 

Miss  Howard's  engagement  to  Carter  Harrison  was 
not  a  long  one.  They  met  last  spring  when  she  came 
from  New  Orleans  to  visit  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Jr.,  who 
was  an  old  school  friend  of  hers. 

Miss  Howard,  after  her  visit  to  Carter  Harrison,  Jr., 
concluded  to  remain  in  Chicago,  and  with  that  idea  in 
mind  she  rented  a  house  at  No.  3685  Ellis  avenue,  not 
far  from  the  home  of  Chief  Justice  Fuller,  and  fully  six 
miles  from  the  home  of  her  fiance. 

A  great  grief  came  into  Miss  Howard's  life  about 
eight  years  ago,  which  came  near  making  her  an  invalid 
for  life.  Her  father  met  his  death  in  a  very  mysterious 
manner,  presumably  a  fall  from  a  horse.  Mr.  Howard 
had  purchased  a  fine  animal  for  his  daughter  ,  and  con- 
cluded it  would  be  safer  for  him  to  try  it,  and  see  if  it 
was  gentle  enough  for  her  to  ride. 

TRAGIC  DEATH  OF  HKR  FATHER. 

He  rode  several  miles  alone  and  when  next  seen 
he  was  in  the  act  of  walking  up  to  the  door  of  his 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON  29 

house  apparently  in  great  pain.  He  staggered  as*  he 
reached  the  door,  but  was  carried  inside  by  the  servants 
and  laid  on  a  sofa.  He  was  unable  to  speak,  however, 
and  died  within  a  few  hours.  The  accident  which 
caused  Mr.  Howard's  death  occurred  at  Dobbs  Ferry,  on 
the  Hudson,  where  he  had  a  handsome  summer  residence. 

The  tragic  and  sudden  death  of  her  father  came  as 
so  great  a  shock  to  Miss  Howard  that  she  became  a 
victim  of  nervous  prostration  and  was  unable  to  leave 
her  bed  for  more  than  a  year.  After  consulting  many 
of  the  specialists  in  this  country,  Miss  Howard  went  to 
London  for  treatment,  where  she  rapidly  got  better. 
Since  then  she  has  been  in  the  best  of  health. 

During  her  long  invalidism  Miss  Howard  was  not 
idle,  but  devoted  herself  and ,  her  fortune  to  charitable 
work,  with  the  result  that  her  name  is  a  household  word 
in  her  native  city  of  New  Orleans,  where  she  erected 
the  Howard  Memorial  Library  at  a  cost  of  $200,000. 
It  contains  more  than  23,000  books,  and  was  erected  by 
the  daughter  through  a  desire  to  carry  out  the  expressed 
wish  of  her  father.  She  also  gave  liberally  to  many 
organizations  of  women  and  to  the  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
church  of  New  Orleans,  of  which  church  she  is  a 
member. 


CARTER  HARRISON'S  LAST  ADDRESS. 


Harrison's  Last  Public  Words. 


Standing  on  the  platform  by  the  side  of  the  Colum- 
bian Liberty  Bell,  his  left  hand  grasping  the  red,  white 
and  blue  cord  with  which  he  sent  the  clear  notes  ringing 
out  on  the  crisp  and  frosty  air,  Carter  H.  Harrison 
made  the  last  speech  that  ever  fell  from  his  lips  on  Sat- 
urday, October  28,  1893.  It  was  at  high  noon,  just  as 
Old  Sol  had  reached  the  zenith  and  his  yellow  rays  fell 
gratefully  on  the  assembled  Mayors  from  almost  all  the 
prominent  Cities  in  the  union,  who  stood  in  mufflers  and 
wraps  of  all  kinds  and  braved  the  cold,  biting  winds 
that  blew  from  the  lake. 

It  was  a  brief  speech  that  the  Mayor  made,  but 
those  who  heard  the  words  that  fell  so  spontaneously 
from  his  lips,  say  that  never  had  he  been  so  eloquent,  so 
poetical,  so  brimming  over  with  happy  allussions  and 
sparkling  epigram.  The  speech  was  not  preserved  save 


32  ASSASSINATION  OF  CARTER  HARRISON 

in  the  memory  of  those  present.  They  will  never  for- 
get it  nor  the  tragic  event  which  followed  in  so  short  a 
time  afterward. 

It  is  a  strange  coincidence  that  Carter  Harrison's 
last  speech  should  have  been  at  the  Liberty  Bell,  where 
on  previous  occasions,  he  had  delivered  probably  the  two 
greatest  speeches  in  all  his  long  and  eventful  career. 
Mr.  Harrison  had  been  invited  to  deliver  the  farewell 
message  to  the  White  City,  which  he  did  in  the  morn- 
ing of  October  28th.  After  this  address  he  was  to  bid 
godspeed  to  the  Liberty  Bell. 

At  noon  Saturday  the  bell  was  to  peal  out  its  clari- 
on message  of  liberty  in  honor  of  the  visiting  heads  of 
the  American  cities.  Aldermen  Madden  and  Kerr,  the 
committee  on  arrangements,  had  been  delegated  to  pull 
the  tri-colored  cord  that  was  to  set  the  bell  ringing. 
Twelve  o'clock  came,  but  Alderman  Madden  had  not 
arrived.  The  party  stood  expectantly  around  the  plat- 
form awaiting  patiently  his  arrival.  They  stamped  their 
feet  upon  the  hard  ground  to  keep  warm,  but  dispite  the 
exercise  nearly  everyone  in  the  party  carried  a  red  nose 
and  blue  lips  as  proof  of  what  Old  Boreas  and  his  imps 
can  do  when  they  are  in  earnest. 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON  33 

Mayor  Harrison  was  the  jolliest  person  in  all  that 
vast  -crowd.  He  seemed  to  be  in  particularly  buoyant 
spirits  and  laughed  and  joked  with  his  brother  Mayors. 
So  infectious  were  his  jolity  aud  good  natured  banter- 
ings  that  the  entire  party  caught  the  spirit,  and  it  was 
remarked  more  than  once  that  the  gathering  was  more 
like  a  party  of  school  boys  on  a  picnic  than  an  assem- 
blage of  the  most  distinguished  heads  of  the  greatest 
American  cities. 

RANG  THE  LIBERTY  BELL. 

After  waiting  about  ten  minutes,  as  Alderman 
Madden  had  not  put  in  an  appearance,  Mayor  Harrison, 
turning  to  his  associates,  held  up  his  hand,  and  in  a 
cheery  voice,  full  of  enthusiasm,  shouted :  "Why 
can't  we  all  ring  the  Liberty  Bell  ?  " 

The  effect  was  magical.  The  crowd  caught  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  moment,  and  rushed  pell  mell 
toward  the  oak  scaffolding  where  hung  the  bell.  The 
Mayor  and  Alderman  Kerr  lead  them.  Following  close 
on  their  heels  were  Mayor  Bemis,  of  Omaha,  Mayor 
Stewart,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Mayor  Fitzpatrick,  of 
New  Orleans. 


34  ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON 

Before  the  ringing  of  the  bell,  however,  Mayor  Har- 
rison made  his  last  speech  upon  earth.  Standing  on  the 
bell-frame,  the  crisp  wind  waving  his  grizzled  locks,  he 
littered  such  sentiments  as  were  fitting  to  the  occasion. 
He  spoke  eloquently  of  the  message  of  the  bell  and  of 
the  trip  which  it  will  make  around  the  world.  The 
audience  were  charmed  with  the  flow  of  oratory  and,  in 
conclusion,  as  he  bid  the  bell  u  God  Speed,"  they  burst 
into  a  storm  of  cheers. 

As  the  Mayor  concluded  he  pulled  the  cord  and  the 
glad  notes  rang  out  on  the  air.  All  of  the  visiting  May- 
ors lent  a  hand  in  the  ringing  of  the  bell.  After  the 
last  note  had  trembled  away  the  Mayor  cut  the  red, 
white  and  blue  cord  into  bits,  presented  each  Mayor  with 
a  memento,  and  divided  the  remainder  among  tne  ladies 
and  children  present.  The  gay  party  then  dispersed. 
Little  did  they  dream,  as  they  joked  and  chatted,  what 
the  night  would  bring  forth. 


The  Inquest 


The  post-mortem  examination  of  the  body  of  Car- 
ter H.  Harrison  by  Drs.  L.  J.  Mitchell  and  R.  L.  Hek- 
toeh  showed  that  the  assassin  Prendergast  had  fired  four 
bullets  into  the  Mayor.  The  report  in  detail,  as  made 
by  Dr.  Mitchell  to  the  Coronor,  was  as  follows : 

u  I  fonnd  five  wound  openings  on  the  body,  such  as 
are  usually  made  by  bullets." 

"  No.  i  passed  through  the  left  hand,  breaking  the 
bone  of  the  little  finger,  and  came  out  in  the  palm, 
forming  wound  No.  2." 

"  No.  3  was  in  the  middle  line,  about  five  inches 
above  the  navel,  passed  once  through  the  bowels  and 
lodged  in  the  muscles  of  the  back.  Here  a  leaden  bul- 
let was  found." 

"  No.  4  wound  was  three  inches  below  and  to  the 
right  of  the  right  nipple,  passed  through  the  right 
tenth  rib  and  liver,  and  a  leaden  bullet  was  found  in  the 
bowels." 


36  ASSASSINATION  OF  CARTER  HARRISON 

"  No.  5  wound  was  just  below  and  in  front  of  the 
right  shoulder,  and  passed  down  under  the  skin  about 
four  inches.  Here  a  third  leaden  bullet  was  found. 
There  was  a  considerable  quantity  of  blood  in  the  right 
chest,  and  in  the  abdomen.  I  conclude  that  Carter  H. 
Harrison  came  to  his  death  from  shock  and  hemorrhage 
following  the  above  bullet  wounds." 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  TRAGEDY. 

Man*  Hanson,  the  domestic  who  let  Prendergastin  to 
the  Harrison  household  told  the  story  of  the  tragedy  to 
the  coroner's  jury.  She  said  Prendergast  had  come  to 
the  door  about  7:30  Saturday  night  and  asked  for  Mr. 
Harrison. 

41  What  name  shall  I  give?"  asked  the  girl. 

44  A  city  official,"  was  the  reply.  The  girl  said  she 
had  orders  to  receive  every  one  who  wanted  to  see  the 
Mayor,  and  she  admitted  him. 

Mayor  Harrison  left  the  table  and  advanced  from 
the  dinning  room  into  the  hall.  The  murderer,  who  was 
full}-  twenty  feet  distant,  raised  his  weapon  and  fired 
without  saying  a  word.  Three  shots  were  fired  so  close- 
ly together  as  to  sound  like  one  explosion.  Members 
of  the  family  in  the  house,  the  servants  and  neighbors 


ASSASSINATION   OF   CARTER   HARRISON  37 

heard  the  reports,  and  within  an  increditable  short  time 
the  dying  man  was  surrounded ;  not  soon  enough  to  cap- 
ture the  assassin,  however,  who  had  stood  at  the  main 
entrance  of  the  hall  and  did  not  pursue  his  victim  when 
he  saw  the  result  of  his  deadly  work. 

William  Preston  Harrison,  who  was  in  his  room  on 
an  upper  floor,  heard  the  shots,  turned  in  a  call  on  a 
police  alarm  box,  and  hurried  down  to  learn  the  cause 
of  the  disturbance.  The  coachman,  who  had  heard  the 
triple  report,  came  promptly  to  the  rescue  and  fired  sev- 
eral shots  at  the  retreating  form  of  the  assassin,  but 
without  result. 

Stunned  by  the  shock,  Mayor  Harrison  wrent  back 
to  the  dining-room  he  had  just  left  and  evidently 
attempted  to  reach  his  chamber  by  a  rear  stairway,  as 
he  passed  into  the  butler's  pantry.  There  his  strength 
failed  him  and  he  sank  to  the  floor.  It  was  there  he 
was  found  by  W.  J.  Chalmers,  who  lived  across  the 
street  on  Ashland  boulevard. 

Mr.  Chalmers  too,  had  heard  the  sound  of  the 
revolver,  and  saw  the  murderer  running  away.  Hasten- 
ing to  the  Harrison  mansion  he  found  the  front  door 
open  and  entered.  Proceeding  into  the  dining-room  he 


38  ASSASSINATION  OF  CARTER  HARRISON 

saw  through  the  open  door  Mr.  Harrison  lying  on  the 
floor  of  the  pantry. 

"This  is  death,  Chalmers,"  said  Mr."  Harrison,  "  I 
am  shot  through  the  heart." 

Making  a  hasty  examination,  Mr.  Chalmers  said, 
u  you  are  mistaken,  Mr.  Harrison.  You  are  shot  in  the 
stomach." 

"  No,  through  the  heart,  I  tell  you,"  said  the  dying 
man,  with  a  return  of  his  customary  vigor,  and  then 
relapsed  into  a  state  of  semi-unconsciousness. 

Mr.  Harrison  asked  to  see  his  sons  and  daughters, 
said  he  knew  he  was  going  to  die,  but  made  no  further 
statements  concerning  the  assault. 

Within  a  few  minutes  after  the  shots  were  fired  Dr. 
Foster,  who  had  been  summoned,  arrived,  and  almost 
simultaneously  came  Drs.  Lyman,  Washburn  and 
Thomas.  There  was  nothing  to  be  done.  The  assas- 
sin's bullet  had  accomplished  its  purpose.  Death  had 
already  glazed  the  eye  of  the  victim,  and  medical  science 
was  useless. 

Death  came  quickly  and  apparently  without  great 
pain  to  the  victim.  His  breath  came  in  shorter  gasps, 
until  at  the  end  the  respirations  were  like  those  of  a 


ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON  39 

little  child — faint  and  gentle,  with  neither  convulsion 
nor  a  struggle.  The  end  came  as  peacefully  as  one 
might  expect  at  the  passing  away  of  a  baby. 

Win.  Preston  Harrison,  the  Mayor's  son,  also  told 
the  jury  what  he  knew  of  the  tragedy.  "  Father  came 
home  from  the  Fair  tired,  but  in  rare  good  humor,"  he 
said.  "I  had  never  seen  him  in  better  spirits.  We 
lingered  at  dinner  longer  than  usual,  and  as  I  had  an 
engagement,  I  left  him  and  went  up  stairs.  I  had  been 
there  but  a  few  minutes — I  think  it  was  about  7:30 
o'clock — when  I  heard  a  noise  that  sounded  like  a  fall- 
ing window.  Startled,  I  waited  a  moment,  thinking  the 
noise  came  from  the  street.  When  the  second  shot 
came  I  turned  in  an  alarm  on  the  police  call  and  ran 
down  stairs.  By  this  time  the  third  shot  had  been  fired. 
I  was  then  on  the  main  floor,  heard  the  shots  fired  at 
the  retreating  assassin  by  the  coachman,  and  in  a 
moment  Mr.  Chalmers  was  with  me,  assisting  me  to 
raise  father  into  a  comfortable  position." 

UI  heard  him  say,  'This  is  death,'  but  even  then  I 
did  not  realize  that  the  result  could  be  fatal.  Then  the 
doctors  came  and  the  crowds — and  then  the  end." 

Sergeant   McDonald   testified  that  Prendergast  had 


40  ASSASSINATION   OF   CARTER   HARRISON 

come  into  the  station  about  eight  o'clock  Saturday- 
night  and  confessed  having  shot  Mr.  Harrison,  saying 
he  had  done  it  because  the  Mayor  had  broken  faith 
with  him  in  not  appointing  him  Corporation  Counsel. 
Several  other  witnesses  were  examined,  and  Prendergast 
was  asked  if  he  had  anything  to  say.  He  refused  to 
answer. 

The  verdict  was  that  Mr.  Harrison  had  died  from 
shock  and  hemorrhage  caused  by  the  bullets  fired  by 
Patrick  Eugene  Prendergast. 


Prendergast  in  Jail. 


The  only  touch  of  feeling  manifested  by  Prender- 
gast since  the  crime  was  committed  was  during  the 
inquest.  Mrs.  W.  J.  Calmers,  who  lived  across  the  street 
from  the  Mayor's  home,  was  in  the  room  when  the 
inquest  was  being  held.  Prendergast's  attention  was 
attracted  to  her,  and  leaning  toward  Lieut.  Haas,  he 
said: 

"Is  that  Mrs.  Harrison?" 

"No,"  replied  the  officer,  "It  is  not.  Why  did 
you  ask." 

"I  wanted  to  tell  her,"  replied  Pendergast,  "that  I 
am  sorry  for  her  trouble." 

When  taken  to  the  jail  Prendergast,  seemed  abso- 
lutely indifferent  to  his  surroundings  and  situation.  A 
very  complete  search  was  made  of  his  clothing  at  the 
jail,  but  nothing  was  found  excepting  $i  in  money. 
While  the  formality  of  delivering  the  prisoner  to  the 


42  ASSASSINATION  OF  CARTER  HARRISON 

jail  authorities  was  in  progress  Pendergast  occupied  him- 
self in  lacing  up  his  shoes,  which  had  been  removed  for 
the  purpose  of  searching  him.  He  was  then  conducted 
to  cell  ii.  It  was  occupied  at  the  time  by  Jung  Jack 
Lin,  the  Chinese  who  is  iinder  life  sentence  for  the 
murder  of  his  cousin  and  another  Chinese  named  Tom 
Long,  awaiting  trial  for  larceny.  The  Chinese  were 
transferred  and  Prendergast  locked  up. 

IN    A   HISTORIC   CELL. 

No.  ii  is  an  historic  cell,  being  the  one  that  con- 
tained Lingg,  the  anarchist,  when  he  committed  suicide. 
Dr.  Scudder  was  also  an  occupant  when  he  caused  his 
own  death  by  taking  morphine. 

While  the  cell  was  being  examined,  Prendergast  sat 
down  on  a  bench  in  the  cage.  He  brightened  up  and 
entered  into  a  conversation  with  Clerk  Price.  He  did 
not,  however,  seem  inclined  to  talk  about  his  crime,  but 
asked  to  see  the  papers.  Parts  of  the  Sunday  papers 
were  handed  him,  but  none  of  them  the  local  news 
sheets.  Prendergast  quickly  noticed  this  and  asked  for 
the  account  of  the  murder.  This  was  handed  him  and 
he  read  down  the  columns  in  an  apparently  mechanical 
manner.  Then  he  dropped  the  papers  and  said:.  "I  did 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON  43 

my  duty,"  repeating  this  sentence  several  times.  He 
then  relapsed  into  silence  and  would  say  nothing  more. 
After  entering  the  cell  he  threw  himself  upon  the  bed, 
clasping  his  hand  behind  his  head.  Clerk  Price  then 
sent  to  the  jail  kitchen  and  ordered  dinner  for  Prender- 
gast,  as  he  had  expressed  himself  to  be  hungry.  The 
regular  jail  dinner  was  brought  to  him,  consisting  of  soup, 
rost  beef  and  vegetables.  Prendergast  ate  everything 
that  was  given  him  and  then  lit  a  cigar  and  was  inclined 
to  talk. 

"  I  am  very  tired,"  he  said,  "having  been  bothered 
by  so  many  people  today.  I  feel  greatly  relieved,  as  a 
great  strain  is  off  my  mind.  I  have  done  my  duty  and 
I  think  the  majority  of  people  when  they  know  this  will 
be  on  my  side.  I  shall  get  out  clear.  I  do  not  mind 
the  physical  confinement  at  all  and  my  mind  is  now  clear." 

u  What   was   your  reason   for  killing  the  Mayor  ?" 

was  asked. 

Prendergast  replied  emphatically  :  "I  was  to  have 
head  the  position  of  Corporation  Counsel,  but  he  played 
false  to  me,  and  I  only  did  right  in  killing  him.  I  did 
not  know  that  I  had  fired  three  shots  at  him  until  I  read 
it  in  the  papers.  I  was  of  the  impression  that  I  had 
onlv  fired  twice.  I  fired  another  shot  as  I  went  away  to 


44  ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON 

prevent  any  one  following  me,  as  I  expected  a  large 
crowd  would  follow  me." 

"Did  Mr.  Harrison  say  anything  to  you  when  you 
met  him  in  the  house?" 

Prendergast  replied  :  "  No  ;  I  drew  my  revolver 
and  fired.  After  the  first  shot  Mr.  Harrison  shouted 
'murder,'  but  I  did  not  hear  him  say  anything  else.  I 
ran  away  pretty  quickly,  and  caught  a  street  car." 

Here  Prendergast  declared  he  was  tired,  and  would 
not  talk  any  more. 


Promised  to  Kill  the  Mayor, 


Developments  go  far  toward  indicating  that  Prender- 
gast  had  murder  in  his  heart  for  several  days.  One 
afternoon  he  entered  Billy  Boyle's  chop  house  on 
Calhoon  place  and  took  a  seat  at  a  table  occupied  by  W. 
A.  S.  Graham,  the  murdered  Mayor's  secretary,  and  anoth- 
er gentleman  well-known  in  financial  circles. 

Graham,  who  was  acquainted  with  Prendergast, 
introduced  him  to  his  friend  and  both  gentlemen  noticed 
that  the  new  comer  was  laboring  under  intense  excite- 
ment. Presently,  without  any  remarks  being  exchanged 
to  lay  a  foundation  for  what  was  coming,  Prendergast 
burst  into  a  bitter  denunciation  of  the  Mayor  for  what 
he  declared  was  the  lattter's  opposition  to  the  elevation 
of  the  surface  railroad  tracks.  This  was  a  subject  that 
has  long  been  agitated  in  local  politics  and  one  to  which 
public  sentiment  has  frequently  been  expressed  with 
emphasis. 


PATRICK  EUGENE  PRENDERGAST.  THE '  ASSASSIN. 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON  47 

"If  he  don't  elevate  the  tracks  I  will  kill  him." 
UI  will  shoot  him  dead,"  ejaculated  Prendergast, 
bringing  his  fist  down  on  the  table  with  a  force  that 
made  the  dishes  rattle  and  attract  the  attention  of  the 
other  patrons  of  the  place.  The  gentlemen  addressed 
simply  smiled  at  him,  attributing  the  strong  language  to 
the  excitement  under  which  he  was  laboring.  Observ- 
ing this,  he  again  ejaculated,  this  time  with  still  greater 
vehemence,  uYes,  I  will  kill  him;  mark  what  I  say. 
Unless  he  does  it  he  is  a  dead  man." 

Not  imagining  for  a  moment  that  Prendergast 
cherished  any  murder  in  his  heart,  Secretary  Graham 
adroitly  changed  the  subject,  and  the  man's  excitement 
gradually  subsided,  and  when  he  left  the  place  he  had 
apparently  forgotten  what  he  had  said  in  the  heat  of 
passion  a  few  moments  before.  Neither  of  the  gentle- 
men thought  any  more  of  the  subject  and  Secretary 
Graham  regarded  it  as  so  trivial.  As  far  as  is  known  he 
did  not  mention  the  subject  to  his  chief. 

A   SINGLE   TAX    ADVOCATE. 

Speaking  of  Prendergrast,  Joseph  Gruenhut,  the 
city  labor  statistical!  said:  "I  knew  Prendergrast  well. 
He  was  a  crank  if  their  ever  was  one.  He  was  also  a 


48  ASSASSINATION  OF  CARTER  HARRISON 

single  tax  advocate  and  frequently  came  into  labor  meet- 
ings to  advance  his  opinions.  Whenever  he  spoke  he 
would  preface  his  remarks  by  saying:  "My  name  is 
Prendergast."  He  would  stop  "people  on  the  streets  to 
endeavor  to  convert  them. 

He  never  belonged  to  a  labor  organization.  He 
was  as  well  known  to  George  Schilling  as  to  myself  and 
we  had  frequently  talked  about  him  and  had  both 
expressed  the  fear  that  he  might  do  something  rash." 

Corparotion  Counsel  Kraus  says  that  once  Prender- 
gast entered  his  office  and  demanded  the  keys  of  the 
desk,  saying  that  he  had  been  sent  by  Mayor  Harrison 
to  take  posession.  Secretary  Dickson  saw  that  Pren- 
dergrast  had  one  hand  in  his  pocket  and  he  signaled  to 
Mr.  Kraus  to  be  careful.  The  Corporation  Counsel  said 
to  Prendergast:  Of  course  I  am  ready  to  give  possession, 
but  as  a  favor  I  would  like  to  stay  here  to  finish  some 
very  important  business." 

"That's  all  right,  Mr.,  Kraus,"  replied  Prendergast: 
"don't  hurry,  any  time  will  do." 

"Meanwhile,"  added  Mr.  Kraus,  "let  me  introduce 
you  to  the  other  gentlemen  in  the  office." 

This  delighted  Prendergast,  and  after  he  had  shaken 
hands  all  round  he  left  in  the  best  of  temper. 


Burial  of  Carter  Harrison. 


The  last  popular  outpouring  in  honor  of  Carter 
H.  Harrison  was  the  greatest  of  all.  It  revealed  some- 
thing of  the  hold  which  he  had  upon  the  people  who 
live  in  Chicago.  The  overwhelming  testimonial  had  no 
tinge  of  politics.  It  was  an  observance  of  and  by  the 
citizens  representing  all  beliefs  and  all  stations. 

The  funeral  filled  the  entire  day.  It  oveshadowed 
every  other  incident  of  the  day's  life.  It  blocked  wide 
streets  for  mile  upon  mile.  It  mustered  out  a  great 
army  which  was  half  military  and  half  civic.  It  stopped 
the  traffic  in  the  streets,  brought  business  to  a  stand- 
still and  realized  to  the  fullest  extent  the  ambition  of 
the  man  who  had  passed  away.  He  had  said  that  it  was 
his  desire  to  carry  with  him  to  the  grave  the  respect  and 
admiration  of  his  fellow  citizens.  His  desire  was  fulfilled. 
The  honors  awaiting  him,  had  he  been  spared  the  cruel 
assasination,  could  not  have  compared  with  those  offered. 


50  ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON 


Those  who  had  fought  with  him  and  those  who  had 
fought  against  him  in  the  strife  for  political  supremacy 
marched  under  one -furled  flag  and  wore  the  same  badge 
of  mourning. 

The  funeral  cortege  reached  its  giant  length  half- 
way across  the  great  city  and  moved  slowly  between 
black,  immovable  banks  of  hnshed  people.  Aroimd  the 
city  hall  a  multitude,  along  each  street  two  deep  fringes 
of  humanity,  roofs  and  windows  crowded  everywhere 
and  the  long  winding  march  through  the  west  and  north 
divisions  hemmed  in  at  ever}'  foot  by  close  walls  of 
spectators. 

The  scenes  around  the  catafalco  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, the  incident  of  the  tedious  march,  the  massing  of 
thousands  of  people  around  the  church  in  Ashland 
avenue  and  the  movement  of  the  multitude  toward  the 
the  cemetery  make  up  a  day  which  must  become  mem- 
orable, inasmuch  as  such  tributes  were  never  before  paid 
to  the  mortal  remains  of  any  citizen  of  Chicago.  The 
streets  had  the  jam  and  hurry  of  a|  great  holiday  without 
any  of  the  noise  and  disorder.  From  the  time  the  black 
and  gold  hearse  drew  away  from  the  shadows  of  the 
draped  city  hall  in  the  morning  until  it  entered  the  green 
shades  of  Groveland  cemetery  at  early  dark,  it  made  its 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON  51 

way  between  lines  of  respectful  people,  nearly  everyone 
whom  had  seen  Carter  Harrison  in  life,  had  heard  him 
speak  and,  therefore,  felt  something  of  personal  interest 
in  the  monster  ceremonies.  They  recognized  the  rider- 
less horse  as  the  one  on  which  he  had  galloped  over  the 
boulevards,  when  even  the  children  knew  him  and 
pointed  him  out.  They  recalled  many  of  the  confiden- 
tial things  he  had  told  his  audiences,  of  how  long  he 
expected  to  live  and  how  he  hoped  to  be  remembered. 
It  seemed  that  everv  one  had  known  Carter  Harrison. 


Tributes  of  Respect. 


BLOOMINGTON,  111,  Oct.  29. — Ex-Govenor  Joseph 
W.  Fifer,  when  asked  what  he  had  to  say  upon  the  death 
of  Mayor  Harrison,  said: 

I  have  known  Carter  Harrison  many  years  by  rep- 
utation and  during  the  past  five  years  I  became  person- 
ally acquainted  with  him  and  since  that  time  had  known 
him  quite  well.  He  had  been  closely  identified  with 
the  interests  of  Chicago  and  the  State  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years.  He  was  a  man  of  kind  heart  and  a 
generous  disposition  and  he  exerted  a  greater  influence 
over  all  classes  and  ifationalities  than  any  man  I  ever 
knew.  He  had  many  warm  personal  friends,  and  he 
deserved  them  well.  He  had  executive  ability  of  high 
order  and  held  many  positions  of  high  trust,  and  I  believe 
his  honesty  and  integrity  were  never  questioned,  He 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens 
and  his  death  will  be  universally  mourned  by  the  peo- 
ple of  Illinois  without  regard  to  party.  He  held  a  high 
place  in  the  councils  of  his  party  and  stood  a  better 
chance  for  the  United  States  Senate  than  any  other 
democrat.  In  my  judgment  he  occupied  a  place  and 
wielded  an  influence  in  the  party  in  which  it  will  be 
impossible,  for  the  present  at  least,  to  fill. 


ASSASSINATION   OF   CARTER   HARRISON  53 

Politically  speaking,  the  democratic  party  of  Illinois 
could  not  have  sustained  so  great  a  loss  in  the  death  of 
of  any  other  man.  The  manner  and  time  of  his  death 
render  his  tragic  taking  off  peculiarly  distressing  to  his 
family,  his  friends  and  the  public.  It  would  seem  that 
Prendergast,  the  assassin,  was  a  crazy  man  or  a  crank. 
This  class  of  people  are  far  more  numerous  than  the 
general  public  may.  suspect,  as  every  one  who  has  held 
high  office  can  testify.  Acting  under  the  influence  of 
some  fancied  wrong,  they  beccme  dangerous  to  all  those 
who  dispense  patronage  or  favors.  They  may  not  be 
insane  to  the  extent  of  being  sent  to  an  insane  asylum, 
and  yet  they  are  more  dangerous  than  the  vast  majority 
of  inmates  confined  in  such  places.  I  believe  there 
should  be  some  amendment  to  our  laws  whereby  such 
person  could  be  restrained  by  being  placed  in  confine- 
ment, whereby  they  can  work  no  injury. 

INDIANAPOUS,  October  28,  1893: 

Mrs.  Heaton  Wolsey: — My  daughter,  Mrs.  McKee,  joins  with  me 
in  offering  to  you  and  to  the  family  the  fullest  sympathy  of  our  hearts 
in  your  appalling  sorrow.  BENJAMIN  HARRISON. 

To  William  Preston  Harrison,  Chicago: — I  tender  to  the  surviv- 
ing members  of  your  father's  family  sincere  sympathy  in  their  great 
sorrow.  W.  Q..GRESHAM. 

To  W.  P.  and  C.  H.  Harrison,  Chicago: — I  beg  to  extend  my 
profound  sympathies  in  your  great  bereavement.  No  words  of  mine 
can  express  my  sorrow.  Please  advise  me  what  day  the  funeral  will 
occur.  Will  attend  if  possible.  A.  E.  STKVKNS. 

From  Don  M.  Dickinson  came  the  following  tele- 
gram to  Carter  Harrison,  Jr.: 

The  whole  country  and  the  world  at  large  had  come  to   know   and 


54  ASS  A  ss  r  x  AT  i  ox  o  K  c  A  RTF.  R  H  A  R  R  i  s  <  >  x 


appreciate  the  noble  and  manly  character  of  your  distinguished  father, 
and  mourn  with  you.  I,  who  knew  him  personally,  and  valued  his 
friendship  and  his  council  in  public  affairs,  had  for  him,  for  his  learn- 
ing, his  ability  and  his  sturdy  Americanism,  a  profound  admiration 
and  respect,  and  I  tender  to  you  and  the  family  the  heartfelt  expression 
of  my  grief  and  sympathy. 

GRAND  PACIFIC  HOTKL,  October  29,  1893. 

Dear  ^fr.  Harrison: — I  trust  you  will  allow  me  as  a  friend — 
through  his  sweet  courtesy  to  me — of  your  dear  father,  to  express  the 
deep  sympathy  which  I  feel  with  you  all  in  your  terrible  affliction. 
We  are  all  aghast  at  the  terrible  tragedy  which  has  deprived  you  of 
father  and  the  country  of  such  a  citizen,  believe  me  to  be  sincere  and 
sorrowfully  yours,  HKNRY  IRVING. 

I  sympathize  with  you  in  your  terrible  affliction  and  hope  that 
you  and  yours  may  be  given  strength  to  bear  up  under  it. 

JOHN  R.  WAUSH. 

BURIJNGTOX,  Iowa,  Octocer29.  1893. 

A  pretty  story  has  been  told  concerning  a  visit  made  t©  Burling- 
ton by  Mayor  Harrison,  He  remained  over  one  night  enroute  home 
from  a  western  trip.  It  was,  as  stated,  shortly  after  the  death  of  his 
first  wife.  A  number  of  Burlington  citizens  and  politicians  learned 
that  Mr.  Harrison  was  in  the  city  and  made  arrangements  to  give  him 
a  reception.  Mr.  Harrison,  however,  objected,  stating  that  he  did  not 
desire  it/  Said  he:  "The  loved  one  whom  I  so  recently  lost  once  lived 
on  those  beautiful  hills  of  yoiir  city.  I  do  not  care  to  mark  my  visit 
hereby  a  round  of  merrymaking.  I  thank  you  very  much."  It  is 
farther  said  that  Mr.  Harrison  made  a  journey  to  a  certain  old  tree  on 
one  of  the  hills  of  Burlington,  where  it  is  said  that  he  and  his  first  wife 
held  their  trysts  in  the  happy  summer  evenings  of  courtship. 

ROCKFORD,  111.,  October  29,  1893. 

The  announcement  of  the  cruel  taking  off  of  Carter  Harrison 
created  the  most  intense  excitement  here.  The  assassination  was 
alluded  to  by  the  pastors  of  the  several  churches  in  their  sermons,  and 


ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON  55 


all  day  long-  knots  of  people  assembled  on  the  streets  and  the  public 
resorts  and  discussed  the  great  crime.  Not  since  Guitean's  bullet  ended 
Garfield's  existence  fias  this  city  been  so  profoundly  stirred.  Mayor 
Harrison  had  frequently  delivered  political  addresses  here  and  was 
therefore  well  acquainted  with  the  leading  men  of  both  parties  as  t  well 
as  the  business  community.  Rev.  Dr.  Barrows  says  he  considered  Mr. 
Harrison  a  typical  son  of  Chicago,  as  he  was  restless,  active,  aggressive 
ane  inordinately  ambitious.  He  did  much  for  Chicago  and  the  fair, 
and  it  is  conspiciously  regrettable  that  he  could  not  have  lived  to  see 
the  end  of  the  great  undertaking.  Rev.  Dr.  Kerr  was  so  depressed  at 
the  shocking  news  that  it  was  with  difficulty  he  finished  his  sermon. 
He  paid  a  marked  tribute  to  the  dead  Mayor,  whom  he  pronounced 
one  of  the  builders  of  the  mighty  west. 

LONDON,  October,  31,  1893. 

The  representative  of  the  United  Press  to-day  had  an  interview 
with  Michael  Davitt,  the  Irish  leader,  on  the  subject  of  the  assassina- 
tion of  Mayor  Carter  Harrison,  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Davitt  said  that  he 
knew  Carter  Harrison  intimately.  He  was  an  uncompromising  friend 
of  the  Irish  cause.  His  tragic  end,  Mr.  Davitt  added,  would  be  deeply 
mourned  by  Irish-Americans.  In  speaking  of  Mr.  Harrison's  abilities, 
Mr.  Davitt  said  that  he  was  the  greatest  administrator  of  citizens'  affairs 
who  had  ever  presided  over  the  municipal  council  of  Chicago.  Among 
other  things  he  had  succeeded  in  enormously  increasing  the  financial 
credit  of  the  city.  According  to  Mr.  Davitt,  Mr.  Harrison  might 
possibly  have  been,  had  he  lived,  a"  candidate  for  the  Presidency  of 
the  United  States. 


Letters  Sent  by  Prendergast. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  October  29 — Prendergast's 
bullets  which  took  the  life  of  Mayor  Carter  Harrison 
might  have  found  lodgment  in  the  heart  of  a  United 
States  Senator,  or  even  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  For  full  two  weeks  before  the  murder,  the 
assassin  had  been  directing  messages  through  the  mails 
to  at  least  one  United  States  Senator  which  indicated 
that  his  mind  was  wrought  up  intensely  against  Presi- 
dent Cleveland.  The  burden  of  all  these  communica- 
tions was  the  silver  question,  and  Prendergast  disclosed 
that  he  was  a  devoted  of  silver,  even  to  the  point  of 
showing  and  unbalanced  mind. 

The  letters  came  to  Senator  Dubois,  of  Idaho,  who 
has  been  the  nominal  leader  of  the  silver  forces  in  the 
Senate  during  the  last  month.  The  first  letter  came 
about  October  9,  and  since  then  a  morning  has  not 
passed  without  the  receipt  of  a  letter  from  Prendergast. 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON  57 

They  came  at  the  same  time  each  day,  indicating  that 
the  writer  was  pursuing  a  regular  daily  course  and  was 
writing  in  response  to  an  impulse.  The  Senator's  cus- 
tom is  to  have  all  his  mail  pass  through  the  hands  of 
his  private  secretary,  Mr.  Borlan,  who  sorts  out  the 
important  letters  to  receive  the  immediate  attention  of 
the  Senator. 

Following  are  some  of  the  letters: 

OCTOBER  21,  1893. 

Dear  Sir: — I  think  that  Grover  Cleveland  has  met  with  the  same 
fate  that  John  L.  Suilivan  did  at  the  hands  of  J.  J.  Corbett  lately. 
There  is  no  possibility  that  repeal  can  come  unless  some  infamous, 
unconstitutional  or  unusual  practice  is  resorted  to,  and  if  cloture  is 
adopted  it  is  resorted  to  at  the  risk  of  our  national  peace,and  none  but 
enemies  of  the  government  will  consent  to  such  dishonorable  methods 
to  choke  the  popular  voice.  Unless  cloture,  there  is  no  possibility 
that  repeal  will  come,  and  if  there  is  any  way  of  overwhelming  clot- 
ure repeal  cannot  come.  Yours  Sincerely, 

P.  EUGENE  Jos  PRENDERGAST. 

OCTOBER  22,  1893. 

Dear  Hon.  Sir: — The  cause  of  unconstitutional  repeal  of  the  pur- 
chase clause  of  the  Sherman  act  is  not  hopeless  unless  the  Senator  from 
New  York  and'the  Senator  from  Indiana  can  obtain  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  signatures  or  pledges  to  a  resolution  for  a  cloture.  I  do  not 
think  that  any  of  the  honorable  Senators  among  your  opponents  will 
sustain  or  support  any  such  dishonorable  or  infamous  cause.  There- 
fore those  who  contend  for  silver  need  not  accept  nor  consider  any  com- 
promise unless  the  Senators  from  New  York  and  Indiana  succeed.  If 
they  cannot  find  a  sufficient  number  to  indorse  cloture,  silver  is  safe, 
and  I  do  not  think  they  can  recover.  The  president  is  defeated  and 
would  cover  his  retreat  with  compromise.  P.  E.  J.  PRENDERGAST. 


58  ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON 

Next  day  Senator  Dubois  received  the  following: 

My  Dear  Honorable  Sir: — If  your  opponents  in  this  present  strug- 
gle resort  to  cloture  as  a  last  resort,  and  you  cannot  find  any  way  by 
which  cloture  can  be  defeated,  only  then  need  you  accept  compromise 
as  the  next  best  thing  to  the  unconditional  repeal  of  the  purchase 
clause.  I  think  yourself  and  honorable  colleagues  can  find  some  way 
of  defeating  cloture  if  you  are  not  lacking  the  necessary  courage.  Clot- 
ure would  endanger  our  national  peace.  E.  P.  J.  PRENDERGAST. 

Another  communication  bears  the  date  of  October 
24,  1893,  and  is  as  follows: 

My  Dear  Sir: — As  the  silverites  are  firm,  strong  and  patient  and 
full  of  fight  and  hold  out  till  the  last  they  can  win  beyond  a  doubt. 
Your  opponents  are  conspiring  and  will  conspire.  The  president  has 
not  given  one  single  good  reason  why  repeal  should  take  place.  It  is 
simply  the  whim  of  Grover  Cleveland.  Is  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States  going  to  yield  up  and  sacrifice  the  people  to  the  whim  of  an 
irresponsible  executive?  Your  opponents  dare  not  attempt  cloture 
and  if  they  do  the  infamy  will  rest  upon  themselves.  Repeal  is 
impossible  with  out  cloture  and  your  opponents  must  surrender.  If  you 
do  not  be  a  victim  to  their  artifices  look  for  their  coup  detat.  Sincerely, 

P.  E.  J.  PRB;NDERGAST. 

The  foregoing  communications  show  what  close 
track  Prendergast  kept  of  every  move  of  the  Senate  for  the 
facts  he  states  concerning  the  purpose  of  the  different 
elements  are  closely  in  line  with  the  plans  discussed  in 
the  Senate  on  the  days  his  letters  were  written.  It  is 
noticable  that  the  date  of  each  communication  is  one 
day  earlier  than  the  stamp  mark  of  the  Chicago  post- 
office,  showing  that  in  each  case  Prendergast  held  his 
letter  over  night. 


Grief  at  the  Capitol. 


WASHINGTON,  October  29,  1893. 

The  assassination  of  Mayor  Harrison  was  the  sub- 
ject of  universal  comment  in  the  Capitol  City,  and 
expressions  of  deep  regret  at  the  tragedy  were  heard  on 
every  side.  Mr.  Harrison  was  personally  known  to 
many  of  the  older  members  of  congress,  having  served 
with  some  of  them  in  the  house  sixteen  years  ago.  That 
was  when  Samuel  J.  Randall  was  speaker,  and  there 
were  in  the  house  such  men  as  James  G.  Elaine,  Nathan- 
iel P.  Banks,  "Sunset"  Cox,  James  A.  Garfield,  Ben  Hill, 
Abram  S.  Hewitt,  J.  Randolph  Tucker,  George  W.  Mc- 
Creary,  J/  Proctor  Knott,  John  A.  Kasson,  Fernando 
Wood,  Iy.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  Henry  Watterson  and  Erastus 
Wells.  Senators  Blackburn,  Hale,  Frye,  Wilson,  Hun- 
ton  and  Vance  were  then  members  of  the  House,  and  in 
the  Illinois  delegation  with  Mr.  Harrison  were  Joseph 
G.  Cannon,  John  R.  Eden,  Col.  Win.  R.  Morrison,  W. 


60  ASSASSINATION    OF    CARTER    HARRISON 


A.  J.  Sparks,  Scott  Wike,  Greenbury  L.  Fort,  Stephen 
A.  Hurlbut,  General  Thomas  A.  Henderson,  J.  V.  Far- 
well,  William  Springer  and  Adlai  E.  Stevenson. 

Those  who  are  still  there  in  public  service,  remem- 
ber Mr.  Harrison  as  a  member  of  congress,  who  in  only 
two  terms  acquired  notional  prominence  and  impressed 
himself  upon  the  legislation  that  was  then  enacted. 
Vigorous,  aggressive,  genial  with  his  associates  and 
courteous  to  his  opponents,  an  easy  talker  and  a  good 
debater,  he  promptly  became  perhaps  the  most  conspi- 
cious  member  of  the  delegation. 

SOME    OF    HIS    WORK    IN    CONGRESS. 

He  earl\-  attracted  national  reputation  by  the  intro- 
duction and  advocacy  of  a  bill  to  extend  the  term  of  the 
Presidency  from  four  to  six  years  and  to  limit  that  offi- 
cial to  one  term.  He  added  to  his  reputation  for  effect- 
ive oratory  by  his  speeches  in  behalf  of  Indian  rights, 
and  a  speech  which  he  made  in  relation  to  the  United 
States  Marine  Band  provoked  quite  as  much  laughter 
and  attracted  almost  as  much  attention  as  Proctor 
Knott's  famous  speech  on  the  city  of  Duluth.  Mr.  Har- 
rison's speech  upon  this  occasion,  it  is  said,  was  the 
means  of  continuing  the  appropriation  for  the  Marine 


ASSASSINATION    OF   CARTER   HARRISON  6 1 

Band  and  thus  saving  that  musical  organization  from 
dissolution.  During  his  service  in  the  house  he  was 
most  active  in  support  of  the  amnesty  measures  growing 
out  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  He  earnestly  supported 
the  bill  carrying  an  appropriation  for  the  Philadelphia 
Centennial  Exposition  and  was  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent champions  of  the  measure  from  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies. 

The  measure  which  drew  attention  to  Mr.  Harrison 
was  a  bill  to  amend  the  election  law  so  as  to  require  the 
vote  for  congressmen  to  be  cast  in  a  separate  ballot,  his 
argument  being  that  the  congressional  ticket  ought  to 
be  free  from  the  influence  of  the  local  ticket,  and  a  con- 
gressman would  thus  be  rendered  more  independent.  All 
of  these  points  in  Mr.  Harrison's  public  service  here  are 
now  recalled  by  his  old  associates. 

Mr.  Cleveland  had  known  Mr.  Harrison  since  the 
beginning  of  his  first  term  as  President.  They  had  met 
on  several  official  occasions,  the  last  time  at  the  opening 
of  the  World's  Fair,  when  Mayor  Harrison,  as  the  offi- 
cial representative  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  received  the 
President  and  extended  to  him  the  usual  courtesies.  The 
association  was  never  intimate  or  anything  more  than  a 
mere  acquaintanceship.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Harrison 


62  ASSASSINATION   OF   CARTER    HARRISON 

never  asked  the  President  for  any  political  favors,  except 
the  appointment  of  ex-Congressman  Frank  Lawler  as 
Postmaster  at  Chicago.  President  Cleveland,  however, 
for  reasons  best  known  to  himself,  has  given  that  ap- 
pointment to  Mr.  Washington  Hesing. 
*. 

VIEWS   OF   THE   VICE-PRESIDENT. 

Vice-President  ^dlai  Stevenson,  who  served  with 
Mr.  Harrison  in  thej  House  during  the  Forty-Fourth 
Congress,  was  one  of  his  personal  friends  and  admirers. 
"I  was  most  deeply  shocked  to  hear  of  the  tragedy,"  said 
the  Vice-President,  "and  no  one  can  deplore  more  than  I 
do  his  untimely  talcing  off.  The  horror  of  the  tragedy 
is  appalling.  He  was  an  able  man,  an  eloquent  advocate 
of  the  people's  rights  and  a  sincere  friend.  The  influ- 
ence of  his  counsels  in  the  party  to  which  he  belonged 
will  be  missed,  for  he  was  a  wise  counselor,  an  earnest 
partisan  and  a  thorough  American  patriot." 

Mr.  Aldrich,  the  representative  from  the  first  Chi- 
cago district,  said:  uThe  news  of  Mr.  Harrison's  death 
and  the  tragic  manner  of  it  came  to  me,  as  it  would  to 
any  citizen  of  Chicago,  as  a  great  shock,  the  result  of  a 
monstrous  crime.  The  first  thought  of  those  who  are 


ASSASSINATION  OF  CARTER  HARRISON  63" 

not  familiar  with  the  city;  would,  perhaps,  be  that  it  was 
the  result  of  another  Anarchistic  outbreak,  but  this,  in 
my  opinion,  is  not  true.  I  think  the  feeling  throughout 
the  country  that  Anarchy  is  deep-rooted  in  Chicago  is 
overdrawn.  There  is  not  so  much  of  it  there  as  is  popu- 
larly supposed  in  other  cities.  A  large  proportion  of  our 
population  is  foreign,  it  is  true,  and  the  Haymarket  in- 
cident led  people  to  magnify  the  conditions.  I  do  not 
believe  there  is  very  much  difference  between  Chicago 
and  any  other  large  city.  Mr.  Harrison  was  a  peculiarly 
popular  man  in  Chicago  with  the  masses  and  was  the 
best  campaigner  I  ever  knew.  He  was  a  man  of  vigor- 
ous constitution,  of  great  energy  and  force  of  character." 

"Rest  on  embalmed  and  honored  dead, 

Great  was  the  life  yon  gave; 
No  impious  footsteps  e'er  shall  tread 

The  herbage  of  your  grave. 
Nor  shall  your  memory  be  forgot, 

While  Fatne  her  record  keeps; 
Or  Glory  points  the  hallow'd  spot 

Where  Genius  proudly  sleeps." 


